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Thank you, US2010 Project, for stating the often misunderstood obvious: “Hispanic” is not synonymous with “Mexican.”

The project, based at Brown University and dedicated to researching changes in American society, has released a report titled “Hispanics in the United States: Not Only Mexicans.” For non-Mexican Hispanics who try not to seem anti-Mexican when they explain, again, that they are not Mexican, the report is a welcome acknowledgement of Hispanic diversity.

For the half of me that's Ecuadorean, it's a joy to see an independent organization confirm that “Hispanics come to the U.S. from many origins and there are real differences between them.”

My Mexican half, however, wasn't pleased that the good news about Latino diversity was overshadowed by the finding that every Hispanic group has become less segregated since 1990 — except Mexicans.

According to the research, Mexicans, who represent more than 60 percent of Latinos, are still living heavily segregated from whites compared to, say, South Americans.

Segregation as a societal construct is bad and enforced segregation is against the law. But when it comes to Mexicans in the United States, I don't think either applies.

For the majority of Mexican immigrants who come here, self-segregation can be a first step in the assimilation process.

I hail from a city known for its diverse ethnic enclaves, and we've always seen these as assets. Whenever I mention I'm from Chicago, people assume I grew up in one of the two major predominantly Mexican neighborhoods, Little Village or Pilsen. I didn't — my family settled in an Irish neighborhood near a concentration of South Americans — but the strengths of those communities reach every corner of the city and suburbs because they serve as immigrants' first stop in America.

“It cuts both ways. We're anxious to involve Mexicans into the greater city community because the city benefits quite a bit when the segregation breaks down,” said Dick Longworth, a senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs who studies the impact of globalization on the Midwest. “But a lot of immigrants wouldn't come here unless there was a group already present, with a common language — and often times having arrived from the same hometown — who could help them settle, break them in, get them in housing, schools, jobs and teach them how this strange place called Chicago works.”

These highly concentrated neighborhoods are epicenters for integration resources such as English as a second language and citizenship classes.

“There's definitely a progression and, while not everyone moves forward, Little Village is a perfect example of a community that has created a space for so many families to live the American Dream of buying a home, starting a successful business and contributing to the economy,” said Nilda Esparza, the executive director of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce.

Yes, assimilation should always be the goal. But sometimes, sticking together can be a community's greatest strength.